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Lucentio, Lines 1-24
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Act 1,
Scene 1
Lines 1-24

Lucentio performs lines 1-24 of Act 1, Scene 1 of myShakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. 

myShakespeare | Taming of the Shrew 1.1 Performance: Lucentio, Lines 1-24

[The acting troupe commences their play. The setting is a public square in the city of Padua, located in the northern Italian region of Lombardy. The sound of trumpets. Enter Lucentio, a young aristocrat, and his servant, Tranio. They have just arrived in Padua from Pisa.]

Lucentio

Tranio, since for the great desire I had
To see fair Padua, nursery of arts,    
I am arrived for fruitful Lombardy,    
The pleasant garden of great Italy,
And by my father's love and leave, am armed    
With his good will and thy good company,
My trusty servant well ​approved in all.    
Here let us breathe and haply institute    
A course of learning and ingenious studies.    
Pisa, renowned for grave citizens,    
Gave me my being, and my father first,
A merchant of great traffic through the world,    
Vincentio come of Bentivolii.    
Vincentio's son, brought up in Florence,    
It shall become to serve all hopes conceived 
To deck his fortune with his virtuous deeds.    
And therefore, Tranio, for the time I study,    
Virtue and that part of philosophy
Will I apply that treats of happiness    
By virtue specially to be achieved.    
Tell me thy mind, for I have Pisa left 
And am to Padua come, as he that leaves
A shallow plash to plunge him in the deep,    
And with satiety seeks to quench his thirst.